My wife and I usually take a city break for our...

My wife and I usually take a city break for our anniverasry in mid March (we usually book with Expedia. Can you suggest somewhere likely to be warm and dry and not to expensive, we went to Warsaw last year and froze, same in Paris the year before.

European city breaks are fantastic fun, but mid-March is usually still too early for visiting northerly capitals and expecting warm weather. It is only by mid-April that Paris starts to feel warm and well into May for Warsaw, due to its northerly location.

Spain tends to be the exception and you might consider Madrid, home to the oldest restaurant in the world: Bot?n. Its old city is surprisingly compact and most of the main sights can be explored on foot.

Valencia in Spain has historic buildings, a rich history, art exhibitions, good shopping opportunities, live music, scenic drives inland and a long pine-shaded beach.  It is also relatively undiscovered by package tourism, is a chance to see real Spain and is an easy destination to visit with sights relatively close together.

The sea won't be warm enough for swimming by mid-March, but the average daytime air temperature is usually a very pleasant 20c, and often higher.  This area of Spain is known for its clarity of sunlight and blue skies year round, meaning it might only be mid-March but it will feel more like a British summer, ideal for all outdoor pursuits, especially photography, walking, hiking, city sightseeing, drives, beachcombing, and cycling. The flight time to Valencia from the UK is just 2 to 2.5 hours

Outside of Europe, but still with reasonable flight times, are destinations in the Middle East. For instance you could choose Egypt and hop on a plane to Cairo and see the pyramids or  transfer to Luxor, probably the oldest tourist destination in the world and visit the  temples. But I suggest a slightly longer break for this visit,

Tunis, capital of Tunisia too is a good alternative, and an ideal destination for March. Here you can enjoy the mix of archaic and new the have resulted in merging of cultures over the millenium; Plus there is a beach just fifteen minutes away and the bonus it is just three hours by air.

24 January 2007